Simon Liston has spent most of his life quietly making sure other people have a place to live, a chance to belong, and a way to contribute.

Simon’s family came to Canada from the UK in the late 1950s. They settled in Ottawa with very little but because his father was British and fit the racial and cultural expectations of Canadian employers at the time, he was able to find work within a few months. Affordable rental housing was also readily available to them and that early experience made an impact on Simon.

“I’ve always considered myself lucky,” he says. “I own my own house. I made a good living. A lot of people aren’t as fortunate, for no fault of their own. It just depends on the cards they were dealt or the economic situation they find themselves in. So, I want to give back to my community.”

Giving back became the through-line of Simon’s working life. In Toronto, what started as involvement in a student housing co-op near Toronto Metropolitan University grew into a career. He worked in some of the first residential rehabilitation programs in Riverdale and Leslieville “back in the days when housing was affordable,” then moved into the housing sector, helping to build and support housing co-operatives.

A formative chapter came with eight years at Canada World Youth, working in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Ecuador on exchange programs for young people. It gave him, as he puts it, “a sense of what the world was and how other people lived.”

From there, Simon joined the City of Toronto, where he spent 30 years developing long-term solutions to homelessness. As Manager of Affordable Housing Development, his team helped create more than 6,000 affordable homes, many for people who had experienced homelessness, along with supportive housing and shelters.

Along the way, he and a colleague noticed that traditional government funding rarely reached projects that supported people’s self-worth and creativity. They worked with the Toronto Foundation to create an endowment that could fund small, community-based initiatives like art programs for women in shelters and low-income housing, a kiln so people could make pottery and jewellery to sell at community fairs, and arts awards judged by writers and artists. People weren’t making a living from these projects, but the impact on confidence and dignity was enormous.

When Simon retired and moved to Peterborough to join his partner Susan, he wanted to continue that kind of work here. So, he created the Neighbourhood Innovations Fund at the Community Foundation. Through his donor advised fund at the Foundation, Simon has supported local projects that widen access and participation rather than duplicate existing funding streams.

One grant helped “Creating Space,” a program supporting marginalized women to explore their artistic skills with access to teachers and materials. Another worked with the New Canadians Centre, training newcomers to use cameras and inviting them to photograph what Peterborough means to them. Their images were shared publicly, allowing the wider community to see the city through new eyes.

Most recently, Simon’s love of dogs and his understanding of homelessness came together in a grant to the Peterborough Veterinary Outreach Clinic at One City. For many people living rough or in deep poverty, a pet is their strongest emotional connection, a source of comfort, trust, and even protection. When the clinic lost supplies during the ice storm earlier this year, Simon saw an opportunity for the Neighbourhood Innovations Fund to help. A grant through the Foundation helped keep the clinic stocked and running.

“It’s hugely important,” he says. “Having a pet for many people is their anchor. This felt like a small way I could give back and have a big impact with not a lot of money.”

Simon’s contributions in Peterborough are not only financial. Volunteering has also allowed him to get to know his new community and make friends. He spent time helping with maintenance at the original Canadian Canoe Museum, and then joined the board of the New Canadians Centre, where he has served as board member and past chair.

He also supports the Kawartha Land Trust, valuing the way Peterborough residents can reach trails and natural areas within minutes. “That’s one of the big selling features of Peterborough,” he says. “We need to hang on to those places.”

Simon is reluctant to call himself a “community builder.” He prefers to see himself as a participant who makes targeted contributions where his skills, time, and resources can be useful. After decades in a demanding public sector role, he also guards his downtime carefully. He has a clear vision for what he wants his fund and his volunteer efforts to do – support creative, community-based responses to local needs that don’t always make it to the top of government funding lists.

He is equally clear about the role that others can play. “If you don’t have the time or the inclination, even small amounts of money, when pooled together, can make big change,” he says. “You can also get out and vote and get involved politically in some way and pay attention. Make sure there’s some place in your heart for people who are less fortunate than you and contribute in some way. That might mean making a monthly donation, a one-time gift, or giving some of your time to volunteer.”

From Simon’s vantage point, Peterborough already has a strong community spirit and a deep culture of volunteering. His hope is that more people will continue to step forward, support local organizations, and use tools like funds at the Community Foundation to direct their giving.

“Keep up the good work,” he says. “And if you can, join in.”

Interested in starting your own fund? Read more here and feel free to get in touch with us anytime.